Somerset Birding

I’ve rarely been in the position on New Year’s Day to get out for some proper birding. This New Year just gone was probably the first time I’d managed to do this. I had been in Somerset since 28th, and with birding during this period having previously been limited to taking the bins on a walk round Wimbleball Lake (producing 10 Gadwall,25 Tufted Ducks,3 Goldeneyes and 10 Little Grebes), we were due a full day’s birding. We were thus up bright and early, eager to embrace the new year and get out into the field for the first time.

The yearlister’s instinct always gets hold of me during the New Year period, albeit briefly, so we had our target birds right from the off and our movements that day planned in advance. It took a fair while to reach our first destination from Minehead; Hawkridge Reservoir. The reservoir was well concealed amongst a number of interweaving small country roads east of Nether Stowey and near the village of Spaxton, so we ended up being lost for at least 20 minutes before we eventually found it. On arriving at the reservoir we picked up a Raven overhead, as well as a posse of 6 Great-crested Grebes and a loquacious Green Woodpecker. Our target, bird – a Ring-necked Duck – would be amongst a posse of Tufted Ducks. It transpired that the Tufted Duck group – just 10 or so – were miles off and that the access from the car park we had stopped in was limited, so we drove down the road a bit to see if we could get any closer.

Luck was on our side, as we found a car park which placed us right in front of the flock in question.In the ideal conditions it didn’t take long to pick out the 1st winter drake Ring-neckedDuck, which largely associated with the drake Tufties. What I had not quite anticipated was the extent to which the development of this bird’s plumage was retarded. Many of the distinguishing features which are normally visible on 1w drakes were not present on this individual. There was a complete absence of any pale subterminal band at the bill tip, and it was showing large areas of white at the base, both features aking to a juvenile bird. My estimation would be that this bird was in a trasitional phase between juvenile and 1st winter plumage (though very near the end of its moult), given that it showed a disinct peaked crown and the yellow iris of a 1st winter, yet also the aforementioned two features that are typical of a juvenile bird. Further subtle diagnostics were a very diffuse ring on the neck, and pale undertail coverts, quite unlike the UTCs of a female Tufty. At points we lost the bird, with its back turned, when it proved more tricky to pick out. Views of the bird in horizontal stance however emphasised the peaked crown and ‘S’ shaped flank panel. Had this bird been distant it would have been tricky to ID, without doubt. However, with views down to 15ft in the crisp sunlight we weren’t really faced with this problem. Certainly a very subtle individual that was great fun to analyse, and a fantastic start to the year.

1st winter drake Ring-necked Duck (furthest right), Hawkridge Reservoir, Somerset (1/1/13). Note the diffuse neck ring and area of white at the base of the bill. At an odd angle.

most obvious in this pic; showing nice peaked crown, though notice lack of white-subterminal bill band,

showing the pale undertail coverts

Our next stop was the nearby Steart, a place that brings back lots of memories from being taken there several times as a young child. Steart Point sticks out into the Parrett Estuary and Bristol Channel near Bridgewater. Even though we knew the area fairly well, we had no idea how to get to Stockland Reach for our next target – Temminck’s Stint – which turned out to be in a flooded field at least a mile from the nearest car park. Reaching this flooded field saw us having to walk through a mud-bath for 20+ minutes before we finally came across the wind blown flood, in and around a field where construction was being done. There, hunkering down against the harsh wind, was sat a miniscule Temminck’s Stint.It looked tiny with the bare eyes even though it was only about 12ft away. Accompanied by a couple of Meadow Pipits, it fed incessantly in the mud created by the floods, oblivious to a small crowd of admirers. It wasn’t long to we had the bird to ourselves. What a beautiful bird, but how lonely and out of place it was, virtually in the back end of beyond. Around 20 minutes watching the bird allowed for some digiscoping opportunities, and I even managed to get a video, which display obvious diagnostics such as the neat pectoral band and yellowy legs. Given the location and that it was winter, watching it was an obscure experience, totally unlike watching one in the calm of spring. It represented only the second species of wader for the year, with Lapwing seen just seconds beforehand. A lovely bird and the undoubted highlight of the day. The Parrett Estuary allowed me to pick up on the majority of gull species, as well as a few other waders such as a 600-strong flock of Knot.

Temminck’s Stint, Steart, Somerest (1/1/13)

can you find the Temminck’s…?

The plan had been to focus our efforts on the Westhay Moor/Mudgeley area in the Somerset Levels (near Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall) for a Cattle Egret, considering this would be a lifer if I connected. We had not anticipated that Steart would be so time consuming, so we were left with just over two hours before sundown to scour the Levels. With the absurd amounts of rainfall in recent times, the levels were like I’d never seen them before: miles and miles of flooding encompassing us on either side of the road, making islands out of woodlands, and the reflection of the clouds and submerged reeds mirroring themselves with perfect symmetry on the water in the crisp ‘evening’ sunlight. Given the vastness of these floods, this Cattle Egret could have been everywhere, so we found ourselves scouring fields on either side of the main road early on. It was on the back-road to Mudgeley that the colossal nature of the flooding hit home, as we found ourselves with only a narrow road seperating us from the water on either side…

flooding around Mudgeley, Somerset (1/1/13)

We parked up by the above area of flooding, noticing plenty of activity around here. A Little Egret was lurking in the reedbeds and a few Teal and Wigeon were enjoying the floods, whilst parties of Redwing and Fieldfare passed over westwards, including at least 5 Mistle Thrushes. With no sign of the Cattle Egret after 10 minutes of searching the immediate area, we were about to move further along the road when a gun shot was fired in the distance, reverberating across the tranquil, flooded scene. Instantly whole waves of ducks emerged from the reeds and ascended into the air, including around 50 Teals and 75 Wigeon and 20 Mallards, but also to our delight a Great White Egret, which emerged above the distant line of trees in the second image. This evoked a scene of intense beauty, the languid flight of a Great White Egret amidst throngs of silhouetted Teal, Wigeon and winter thrushes in absolute frenzy, bombing it across the mill-pond like, flooded expanse. A pair of Sparrowhawk emerged from the tree line and took advantage of the havoc and 2 Grey Herons briefly joined the GWE as it headed determinedly westwards, not to be seen again. Within a couple of minutes, quietness descended on the floods once again, as if it was entirely birdless and nothing had happened.

Astounded by that fleeting moment of chaos, we moved on with the conclusion that we would not mind dipping on the Cattle Egret. We did dip in the end, but after that moving experience it didn’t really matter to me. Furthermore, we were provided with the surreal experience pictured below; anotherGreat White Egret and 4 Little Egrets together on a small piece of grass in another area of flooding. We reveled in this unique experience for a good 15 minutes; an experience only the South West or Dungeness in Kent could offer. We returned to the same field at dusk, to find the Great White had disappeared. A couple of minutes later we had what was presumably the same bird over the very nearby Mudgeley village, but could possibly been have a third bird… To be safe though its best to say that we had at least2 Great White Egrets and at least 10 Little Egrets in the Mudgeley/Westhay Moor area, testament to the unique, amazing birding experiences that the Somerset Levels can offer.

Great White Egret with 2 of 4 Little Egrets on a small strand of grass in a flooded field, Mudgeley, Somerset (1/1/13)

After a very successful and lastingly memorable New Year’s Day, a session at Dunster Beach on 2nd (just a mile or two from the house in Minehead) to see what I could muster was a much enjoyed contrast from the high-octane, previous day’s twitch oriented birding. It was relatively quiet, with the highlights being plenty of Curlews and Shelducks, a showy adult Peregrine and floods on golf course curiously holding up to 50 Wigeon,20 Teal and 100 Canada Geese. By 4th we were back in Aberdeen, after what was an immensely enjoyable break from NE Scotland, with some great birding to boot. To finish up, below is a video of the Peregrine.

The second part of my July holiday saw me spending just under a week in Somerset. My family have a holiday cottage in Roadwater, a village in West Somerset on the northern edge of the Exmoor National Park. I’ve been going there since I was born, and with my family roots partly being in Somerset & Bristol I am normally down that way a few times a year to visit family or to stay in the cottage.

Roadwater itself is quite good for birds. It is based in the the heart of a densely, mixed wooded valley, attracting a range of woodland species such as Siskin, much of the commoner warblers, Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker and many other species. Spotted Flycatcher breeds there, with at least 2 pairs seen during my visit. Roadwater’s location on the edge of the Exmoor National Park means it also gets a few upland based species such as Raven, with some lone individuals seen during my stay. The River Washford runs through the village, which holds Dipper fairly regularly and very occasionally the odd Kingfisher. That stay was the first time I’d connected with Kingfisher there; a tantalizing glimpse of azure bolting across the river at the back of the cottage on 8th July. This was a great relief to me as I had spent years looking for them. Over the years we’ve had other locally uncommon species such such as Red Kite, Marsh Tit, Little Owl and even Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker. Only my Dad has had the latter two, I was too young to be birding at the time. Below are a few pics of the Roadwater countryside .

the River Washford. This runs along the back of the cottage, which is completely obscured from view to the left

some of the coniferous woodland within a few minutes walk of the cottage

Roadwater is encompassed by beautiful deciduous woodland such as this

Anyway, we had a full day’s birding in Somerset on 9th July. The summering Iberian Chiffchaff at Porlock was only 15 miles miles away, so this was our first port of call. The weather wasn’t promising; overcast with a few threatening rain showers in the distance. As we pulled up by the log pile in the woods at the start of the Porlock Toll Road – where the bird in question was favouring – my hopes weren’t altogether high. My worries that the bird wouldn’t be singing seemed be coming true, as it was nowehere to be seen nor heard after half an hour. My first Nuthatch of the year and a Spotted Flycatcher were of some consolation, but I was already giving up hope. With this being my only chance to connect, I was determined to see it and make sure I would not have to go through the pain of hearing about it showing well and singing on the next sunny day that came along, as would inevitably happen.

Twenty minutes passed and we had nearly given up. Dad decided to walk up the toll road a bit as a last resort. I stayed put just in case it started to sing, but too became curious and wandered up the road a little way. As I was walking up I was stopped in my tracks by a Bullfinch-esque descending, monosyllabic ‘heeoo’ call coming from the trees on the right hand side of the road. But this was no Bullfinch; it was higher pitched than said species and louder. I became aware that I was probably right by the Iberian Chiffchaff. The aforementioned call is typical of the Iberian Chiffchaff call, whilst collybita (Common Chiffchaff) has a familiar, ascending ‘huuit’ call. Dad was round the corner from me so I wasn’t able to alert him; I had to concentrate on 100% confirming and seeing the bird in question first.

I soon caught a glimpse of the Iberian Chiffchaff flitting into a bush very close to where I was standing. It was elusive for a minute, but I had a couple more glimpses as it continued to call. I then had it flying back into the trees again and heard two snippets of classic Iberian Chiffchaff song; a rising and falling trysyllabic ‘chiff-chiff sweet sweet tr-tr-tr’ , as opposed to the simple disyllabic ‘chiff-chaff’ of collybita. It stopped singing; I called Dad immediately.

It transpired that I’d got lucky. It didn’t sing for the remainder of our visit, and called twice in half an hour. Once again views were limited to rare glimpses; neither of us managed a view for more than a second. It was clear things weren’t going to improve so we left it there. Dad hadn’t heard it sing so he felt that wasn’t enough for him to say he’d had it. Having heard it sing myself and got a few glimpses at close quarters, I was able to confirm it and that was enough for me. For clips of this individual calling and singing + pics see: http://www.somersetbirder.co.uk/june12.htm

***

Whilst personally successful and relieved to have had it, I was frustrated as we drove to Shapwick Heath NNR near Glastonbury– it was hard graft and the reward of a few glimpses and one burst of song was minimal and I was disappointed Dad hadn’t heard it sing. Not exactly memorable. Shapwick and the adjacent Ham Wall RSPB (collectively known as Avalon Marshes) always bring me ceaseless joy though, and my visit there made me feel much better. It really is a wetland heaven there, so much so that it is currently home to the first breeding Great White Egrets in the UK, which I was hoping to see. Little Bittern bred there in 2009, and I had 2 Glossy Ibis there in 2011. In my eyes it is without doubt up there amongst the best reserves in the UK for birds.

We started at Shapwick, with the hope that the GWEs were on their favoured Noah’s Lake. This was not the case, though a Little Egret was present. There was plenty to keep us entertained during our time at Shapwick, the definite highlight of which was two Hobbies hawking over the woods at the back of Noah’s Lake for 10 minutes or so – a scarcity in Scotland and thus always personally delightful to see. Cracking birds too. A male Marsh Harrier passed over whilst we were here, and a Kingfisher was a lovely bonus flying up the creek by the path on the way back. When at Shapwick/Ham Wall I’m always struck by the density of warblers. That afternoon we managed: 20 Reed Warblers, 10 Sedge Warblers, 6 Cetti’s Warblers, 5 Garden Warblers, 15 Blackcaps, 10 Whitethroats and 10 Chiffchaffs. The numbers of commoner warblers there is just fantastic and hits you in the face; I’ve never seen so many warblers in one area.

We moved across to Ham Wall RSPB to check the lagoons there for GWE. There weren’t any from the first lagoons, so we made the long walk to the second set of lagoons. Success was had when within 5 minutes of stationing ourselves there a pair of Great White Egrets rose from the vast reedbed expanse, parting in opposite directions from one another in typically languid but mesmerisingly elegant flight. Awe-struck by their aerial beauty, I watched the male, still in breeding plumage with its all black bill, disappear to the east. The female, in non-breeding plumage with its largely orange bill (save the tip which was black, distinguishing it from any of its young), stayed in view for a while before submerging into the reeds.

The male flew back in eventually and submerged, but from then on neither of them flew back up from the reeds. We meandered back towards the car, stopping at the first lagoons again. A Bittern briefly in flight above the reeds was the definite highlight here, only my second of the year. At least 8 Great-crested Grebes, x2 moulting Pochards, x8 Gadwall and 5 Little Grebes (a pair and 3 young) were also present, the Little Grebe chicks quite something to see as they begged for food.

To round things off, we found the female Great White Egret fishing on the opposite lagoon. Fantastic, prolonged views of the bird were had as it displayed its fishing prowess down to 90ft, keeping stone still before going in for the kill. It’s pictured below. There aren’t many species that I admire more than GWEs, so this was a wonderful experience.

female Great White Egret at Ham Wall RSPB (9/7/12). Doing its ‘camoflauge’ stance; the necks on these birds are something else.

digiscoped. Note the black tip to the bill, seperating it from the newly fledged immatures

stretching those wings

A taste of Iberia in Somerset? Yes, with Iberian Chiffchaff and Great White Egrets being the highlights and providing that taste!

Thanks for reading,

Joseph

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Header and Background Images

Header: Barns Ness, Lothian, taken on 28th September 2013

Background: Firth of Forth and Arthur's Seat from Longniddry at Gosford Bay, Lothian, taken on " "

both images by Joseph Nichols

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Welcome to the Blog

I'm Joseph Nichols, an avid 19 year old Scottish birder and patcher that formerly lived in Aberdeen but now has bases in Edinburgh and Glasgow. I also bird in Norfolk as I have family stationed down there, where my local patch is Costessey House Private Estate. This is an area of private land around the cottage I stay in between Costessey and Drayton on the outskirts of Norwich.

I enjoy creative writing and thus many of my blog posts are lengthy. This more extensive medium is uncommon in the birding blog sphere, so I write in such a way with the hope that it will paint a vivid sense of my natural experiences as a whole, rather than just of the birds I have seen.